I haven't read a SAVAGE DRAGON book in YEARS, but when I saw the cover to Savage Dragon #177 with the apparant return of BIN LADEN as a Godzilla-like green-skinned behemoth, I couldn't help myself from picking it up and reading it. Keep in mind my political affiliation not-with-standing, that some people could have been offended by both the content and the cover of this book. And this book probably isn't right for you if this is the case. However, I have to say that those people need to sit back, shut up and just let me explain a few things:
First off, I have to give Larsen kudos. This is a creator that has STUCK to the creative chores of his signature character and continues to create a monthly comic book for his readership and fanbase that is pretty kick-ass.
Second, his covers remind me of the old 1940's covers that graced comics back during WWII, with the towering villains over the city and the heroes scaled out to be in the for the fight of their lives. The YELLOW CLAW issues of DAREDEVIL (not Marvel) come to mind.
Third, this comic is just FUN. There's nothing redeeming about the book. Honestly, it's kind of silly. Bin Laden comes back to life after being buried at sea and attacks the city. That's pretty much it. There's little moments scattered throughout the story that are winks to long-time comic fans, but if there's a political statement Larsen's trying to make in this issue, it gets overshadowed by the sheer adventure of the book.
Because there could be a hint of controversy behind the book (after all, it DOES feature the return of the world's most ruthless terrorist) AND I'm just sure this book wasn't ordered in large numbers, makes it a pretty good bet it's going to be a completist book 5-10 years from now for those that want to complete a SAVAGE DRAGON collection. If you see this book at your local comic shop, I'd buy two. If it doesn't go second print, I'd be shocked.
Speaking of shocked, go check out all of Larsen's SAVAGE DRAGON issues on ComicCollectorLive.com! Type in SAVAGE DRAGON in the Library Search and you're off to the races. And remember, you don't have to have green-skin or 50-feet tall to be awesome. And this wasn't a magic comic. Remember, the magic was within you all the time.